P90 neck and HB Bridge in an SG?

[dazzypig]

Hi there (new to these forums, but great job guys)

I've been a F***er St**t guy for about 13 years and aquired (bought myself) and Gibbo SG standard about 2 months ago and haven't touched the strat again since, The SG's a fantastic players guitar with a huge sound, what more could a player want?

Well... my only major gripe with it is the sound of the neck p'up which I'm slightly under-whelmed by and was thinking of changing this to a P90.

Only problems being I've never known of anyone doing this to an SG before

(which usually means, it's either a relatively different idea, or it's just plain dumb...)

Also wondering What HB sized P90 would you recommend (as I really don't want to have her routed out). And if anyone knows of anyone currently using this set-up, give me a shout 'cos I'd really like to hear what it sounds like.

Thanks again guys

D

 

[Splattle101]

Nah, it's an excellent idea. I did it myself on an Epiphone LP special that had P-90s in both positions. Loved the neck, underwhelmed by the bridge. Ended up replacing the bridge with a mini humbucker. Seymour Duncan does a humbucker sized P-90. So do a few others, including Tonerider.

But I would think about the pots and capacitors for the neck pickup before actually changing the pickup. If what you're missing is some of the high-end snap and sparkle of the Fender, changing to a lower value capacitor (0.010-0.015 uF) or a higher value pot (500 K) might help. It would also be a lot cheaper.

 

[EEF13]

Seymour Duncan makes the Phat Cat. Gibson Makes the P94. Dimarzio makes the Bluesbucker. You can also try Bare Knuckles.

 

[EFK]

I think Gibson neck pickups - 57 or BB or 490 - all sound muddy in the neck. I've tried a few different neck humbuckers (including antiquity and seth) in my own SG and quite honestly I think an unpotted Duncan 59 is hard to beat. While these can sound boomy and too dark in a LP, they are perfect for the SG as they fill in some of the missing lower punch. With a 500K audio pot and a .015 cap, I am completely satisified. I like a very bright neck pu and this works for me. It does not get muddy. It's not strat bright, but it's not muddy and it's quite crisp (especially if you raise the poles and lower the pickup overall).

 

[Benjammin]

i played a used SG faded special with a Phat Cat in the neck, and some sort of coverd PAF in the bridge. Its sounded nice on its own. But they also had a used LP special with 9stock gibson) p-90s and they sounded much better. personally, based on that side-by-side comparison im not a fan of the Phat Cat. But of course tone is personal and subjective anyways, but a P90/HB SG would sound cool for sure.

 

[kspeed]

JR's excepted, the more I play my P90 guitars the more I think a P90 neck and HB bridge just might be the ideal rock combo. Every P90 I've tried in the bridge position just doesn't "do it" for me the way a Texas Special or Evolution does. Granted, those are extreme examples, but I'm just sayin'.

If I want hard, cutting, scream-in-your-face lead I want something ceramic and LOUD. If I want to lay down a blues riff with a little more oomph without sounding jazzy I want a single coil with some edge and a little glass to it. And this is the sort of stuff bridge pickups are made for.

The best description I've heard of P90's is that, more or less, they split the difference between a standard single coil and humbucker - output closer to a HB with the sparkle and clarity of a single coil. They do this well and I think, more and more, they're ideal for the sweet spot of a guitar - the neck position. Bridges usually needs more power and midrange response, in which case a HB may be ideal.

 

[dazzypig]

Glad to hear I was on the right track then with a P-90. I'm taking my guitar in for a set-up this weekend anyway so I'll have a word with my guy then. I'll also mention about the caps and pots too. Thanks again for the information.

With regards to the sound I'm after from it, which P-90 would you reccomend? (I'm not too worried about the price, so long as I get it pretty much right).

I love the bridge's classic rock tones and dynamic range so there's no trouble there; as far as those sounds are concerned it's got it covered. With the neck I'd like a brighter tone that can be mellowed on the tone pot for a round jazzier tone, think ES 175 or similar. I know this is never going to be entirely possible (a 175 is just a little different to an SG) but just as a ball park for you guys to know where I'm coming from.

I'll ask the guy who works on my gear too but I think actually being able to try the p'ups out might be a bit out of the question.

Thanks again for the help, D

 

[zontar]

It can be a great combination!

 

[phildaws]

Hi Dazzypig, bareknuckle would be worth a go, they are very well rated and not that much more expensive than say SD/Dimarzio. The Mississippi Queen is a Humbucker sized P90...

 

[dazzypig]

Hi Dazzypig, bareknuckle would be worth a go, they are very well rated and not that much more expensive than say SD/Dimarzio. The Mississippi Queen is a Humbucker sized P90...

Thanks, I must admit I was erring toward BKP myself having heard only good things, thanks again, when I've had it done I'll post some sound clips to show it off a bit!

Cheers again, D